Clasping mechanism

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to individually secure carts, racks, and the like within delivery vehicles using a universal clasping mechanism. The clasping mechanism is configured to clamp shut on a portion of the carts to thereby restrain the carts during transportation. In some embodiments, locking the clasping mechanism can be achieved by pushing a portion of the mechanism to thereby pivot arms of the mechanism to clamp on a portion of the cart.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.15/642,423, filed Jul. 6, 2017 (Docket No. 8842-139084-US_2354US03),which claims the benefit of U.S. 62/359,770, filed Jul. 8, 2016, andU.S. 62/371,290, filed Aug. 5, 2016. All of these applications areincorporated in their entirety herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to a clasping mechanism and, morespecifically, a clasping mechanism for linear tracking inside vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Linear tracking is commonly used inside of delivery vehicles to mountvarious devices for restraining cargo during transportation. One methodis to use straps with hooks inserted into the linear tracking that canbe tightened to restrain the cargo. This method can be time consuming ifthe cargo needs to be accessed individually. For example, restrainingeach piece of cargo individually can be time consuming and can require alot of equipment. Using one strap on a plurality of pieces, whilerequiring less equipment, can require a user to unstrap unneeded cargoto access the desired cargo. This can lead to wasted time having toresecure the unneeded cargo. Another method is to use clamping locksthat can be mounted to the linear tracking. The available clampinglocks, however, are designed for specific containers or carts and, thus,have limited utility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, apparatuses and methodspertaining restraining carts, racks, and the like using a universalclasping mechanism that is configured to mount to linear tracking withindelivery vehicles. This description includes drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clasping mechanism for linear trackingwithin a delivery vehicle showing arms thereof in a closed configurationin accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the clasping mechanism of FIG. 1 showinga rectangular portion of a cart secured within the clasping mechanism inaccordance with several embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the clasping mechanism of FIG. 1 showinga cylindrical portion of a cart secured within the clasping mechanism inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the clasping mechanism of FIG. 1 showingan arm thereof in an open configuration in accordance with severalembodiments;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the clasping mechanism of FIG. 1 showingan arm thereof in a closed configuration in accordance with someembodiments; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart in accordance with several embodiments.

Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity andhave not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensionsand/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures maybe exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improveunderstanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also,common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in acommercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order tofacilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of thepresent invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described ordepicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in theart will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence isnot actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have theordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressionsby persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above exceptwhere different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, systems,apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to individuallysecure carts within delivery vehicles using a universal claspingmechanism. The clasping mechanism is configured to clamp shut on aportion of the carts to thereby restrain the carts duringtransportation. The clasping mechanism includes a locking area that canaccommodate cross-sections of various shapes and sizes, thus increasingthe utility of the device. Further, the clasping mechanismadvantageously individually restrains the carts, so carts can beindividually unsecured during a delivery route as needed, saving timeversus having to unsecure and resecure unneeded carts. In someembodiments, locking the clasping mechanism can be achieved by pushing aportion of the mechanism to thereby pivot arms of the mechanism to clampon a portion of the cart. For example, an upright portion of the cartcan be laterally shifted into the clasping mechanism to thereby lock thecart in place. By a further approach, pushing the portion of themechanism can be achieved by inserting the portion of the cart into theclasping mechanism, such that the clasping mechanism will automaticallyclamp on the portion of the cart.

A clasping mechanism 10 configured to couple to a portion, such as aleg, post, and so forth, of a cart 11 in accordance with the variousembodiments described herein is shown in FIGS. 1-5. Cart, as it is usedherein, can refer to any conveyance mechanism utilized for delivery,including racks, shelving, dollies, and so forth. The clasping mechanism10 includes a coupling mechanism 12 configured to releasably couple tolinear tracking 14 within a delivery vehicle using known components. Theclasping mechanism 10 further includes a bracket or housing 16 coupledor mounted to the coupling mechanism 12. Arms 18 pivotably couple to thebracket 16 and are pivotable between open and closed positions. To pivotthe arms 18, the clasping mechanism 10 includes a closure member 20 thatis configured to be shifted, the movement of which pivots the arms 18 sothat the arms 18 can pivot and collapse onto the cart 11. By oneapproach, the closure member 20 is shifted linearly towards the lineartracking 14 to drive rotation of the arms 18. By a further approach, theclosure member 20 is horizontally aligned with the arms 18. A lockmember 22 is configured to releasably hold the arms 18 in the closedposition. The lock member 22 is further configured to be shifted torelease the arms 18 to pivot to the open position.

Details of the various components of the clasping mechanism 10 will nowbe described with reference to FIGS. 1-5. The bracket 16 includes acentral portion 24 and laterally outward upstanding portions 26, whichcan be two pairs of upstanding posts as shown, disposed laterallyoutwardly of the central portion 24. The arms 18 are pivotably coupledto the upstanding portions 26 by hinges or pivots 28. So configured, thearms 18 can pivot between open positions, as shown in FIG. 4, to closedpositions, as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5. In order to ease removing theportion of the cart 11 from between the arms 18, the hinges 28 caninclude spring mechanisms 30 to bias the arms 18 towards the openposition. So configured, unless the arms 18 are held in the closedposition by the lock member 22, the arms 18 will be forced open by thespring mechanisms 30.

In the illustrated form, the arms 18 project outwardly from the couplingmechanism 12 so that the arms are generally perpendicular to the lineartracking 14. As such, the portion of the cart 11, which extends in adirection generally perpendicular to a plane of the arms 18, can beinserted into the clasping mechanism 10 through an open area between thearms 18 towards the closure member 20, coupling mechanism 12, and lineartracking 14 to thereby engage the closure member 20. This configurationadvantageously allows the cart 11 to be rolled or slid into the claspingmechanism 10 without having to lift the cart. The cart 11 is spaced fromthe arms 18 until the closure member 20 is engaged thereby to pivot thearms 18 into engagement with the cart 11.

The arms 18 include first and second portions 32, 34 separated by thehinge 28 mounted thereto. As shown, the second portions 34 are used togrip the cart 11 during use, while the first portions 32 are used topivot the arms 18. By some approaches, the first portions 32 can besmaller than the second portions 34, such that the second portions 34pivot a greater distance than the first portions 32. In order toaccommodate carts 11 of various shapes and sizes, each second portion 34can include an inwardly projecting portion 36 and an inwardly facingsurface 38 that tapers outwardly between the inwardly projecting portion36 and the hinge 28. In the illustrated form, the inwardly facingsurfaces 38 are generally planar. So configured, the inwardly projectingportions 36 of the arms 18 are disposed close together, e.g., between 0and about 2 inches, and more preferably between about 0.25 inches andabout 1 inch, when the arms 18 are in the closed position and theinwardly facing surfaces 38 define a locking area 40 therebetween. Inthe illustrated form, the locking area 40 is generally triangular andpivoting of the angled inwardly facing surfaces 38 to the portion of thecart 11 ensure contact therewith. As such, the portion of the cart 11can be laterally shifted into the locking area past the inwardlyprojecting portions 36 of the arms 18 and secured within the lockingarea 40 with the inwardly projecting portions 36 of the arms 18preventing the portion of the cart 11 from coming free. Further, becauseof the configuration of the inwardly projecting portions 36 and thesecond portion inwardly facing surfaces 38, the clasping mechanism 10can be used on a variety of carts, with a variety of structures, such assquare as shown in FIG. 2 and circular as shown in FIG. 3.Advantageously, the clasping mechanism 10 does not rely on the weight orstructure of the cart 11, other than the portion thereof sized to fitbetween the arms 18 such that the arms 18 can be locked in the closedposition, to reliably secure the cart 11 to the linear tracking 14.

If desired, the inwardly facing surfaces 38 can include a grippingsurface or material 42 disposed or applied thereon, such as rubber orthe like, to grip the cart 11 and minimize damage to the cart 11. Thegripping material 42 can be deformable to grip the cart 11 and restrictmovement of the cart 11 without damaging the surface thereof. Thegripping material 42 can further include ridges or steps 44 extendingthereacross to further enhance the grip of the arms 18 for restrainingthe cart 11 during use. The ridges 44 can be generally large, such as2-8 or 4-6 along the inwardly facing surfaces 38 so that the arms 18 canbe used on a variety of cross-sections. As shown, the ridges 44 extendgenerally perpendicular to a plane of the arms 18 and in the samedirection as the portion of the cart 11 so that one or more of theridges 44 can engage the cart 11 during locking.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first portion 32 of each arm 18 includesa curved, inwardly facing surface 46. The curved surface 46 of each arm18 is concave with a first end 48 adjacent to the hinge 28 and a secondend 50 adjacent to an end surface 52 of the arm first portion 32. Morespecifically, the curved surface 46 at the first end 48 thereof isgenerally parallel with a longitudinal axis L of the arm 18 and extendsconcavely such that the curved surface 46 at the second end 50 thereofis transverse or angled with respect the longitudinal axis L.

As discussed above, the closure member 20 is configured to be shifted todrive pivoting of the arms 18. Pursuant to this, the closure member 20includes an engagement portion 56 which can be accessible at any portionof the clasping mechanism 10 as desired. In the illustrated form, asshown in FIG. 1, the central portion 24 of the bracket 16 includes anopening 54 extending therethrough. Advantageously, the closure memberengagement portion 56 can be a button that extends through the opening54 in the bracket 16 such that an end surface 57 thereof is disposed inthe locking area 40. With this positioning, a user can easily engage thebutton 56 with the cart 11 during use.

To pivot the arms 18 to the closed position, the closure member 20further includes lateral portions 58 that project outwardly from thebutton 56 to distal ends 60 thereof. So configured, when the cart 11engages the button 56, the closure member 20 and the lateral portions 58thereof is shifted rearwardly with respect to the bracket 16. As shownin FIGS. 5 and 6, the distal ends 60 of the lateral portions 58 engageand travel along the curved surfaces 46 of the arms 18. In the openposition, the distal ends 60 are disposed at the first end 48 of thecurved surface 46. As the closure member 20 is shifted rearwardly,however, the distal ends 60 of the closure member 20 are driven alongthe curved surfaces 46, forcing the arms 18 to pivot towards the closedposition. So configured, engaging the button 56 with the cart 11 andshifting the closure member 20 rearwardly causes the arms 18 to pivot tothe closed position and the inwardly projecting portions 36 thereofclose around the cart 11 to secure the cart 11 within the locking area40. If the arms 18 are biased by the spring mechanism 30 as discussedabove, shifting of the closure member 20 can overcome the force of thesprings to pivot the arms 18.

As set forth above, the clasping mechanism 10 utilizes the lock member22 to hold the arms 18 in the closed position. More specifically, thelock member 22 is disposed adjacent to the first portion 32 of the arms18 on an opposite side of the hinge 28. Additionally, due to theengagement of the closure member 20 with the cart 11, the cart 11 holdsthe closure member 20 in the shifted position while the claspingmechanism 10 in the locked configuration. A spring mechanism 62 can biasthe lock member 22 forwardly towards the end surface 52 of the arm firstportion 32 such that a forward surface 64 thereof engages the firstportion end surface 52 when the arms 18 are in the open position. Thelock member 22 further includes an outwardly facing, stop surface 66generally transverse and adjacent to the forward surface 64 along anedge 68 thereof. The lock member 22 is sized so that pivoting of thearms 18 pivots the end surface 52 thereof past the lock member edge 68and the spring mechanism 62 forces the lock member 22 forwardly, suchthat the stop surface 66 thereof engages an interior surface 70 of thearm first portion 32. The stop surface 66 effectively holds the arms 18in the closed position and prevents the arms 18 from pivoting back tothe open position.

Accordingly, when release is desired, a user can shift the lock member22 rearwardly causing the stop surface 66 thereof to disengage from thearm interior surface 70, freeing the arms 18 to pivot back to the openposition. The spring mechanisms 30 of the arms 18 can force the arms 18to pivot to the open position, which also shifts the closure member 20forwardly as the distal ends 60 of the lateral portions 58 are drivenalong curved surfaces 46 thereof. In order to ease the release, the lockmember 22 can include one or more engagement or release portions 72 thatextend to a position spaced laterally outwardly of the arms 18 so as tobe more easily accessible. To further ease release, the engagementportions 72 can include a tool opening or recess 74 therein sized andconfigured to receive a tool 76 securely therein. In the illustratedform, the opening 74 is a hexagon and a tip 78 of the tool 76 isconfigured to fit within the hexagon opening 74. Of course, other shapescan also be utilized. So configured, a user can use the elongate tool 76to release the clasping mechanism 10, which can be in difficult to reachareas blocked by carts 11 and other cargo. In the illustrated form, thelock member 22 includes two spaced engagement portions 72 on lateralsides of the coupling mechanism 12.

In some embodiments, a lock apparatus for a cart configured to couple toa linear mounting track installed within a delivery vehicle is describedherein that includes a coupling mechanism configured to couple to thelinear mounting track; a bracket secured to the coupling mechanism; armspivotably coupled to the bracket and configured to be pivoted betweenopen and closed positions; a closure member configured to be shifted topivot the arms to the closed position gripping a portion of the cart;and a lock member having an arm engagement portion configured to engageand hold the arms in the closed position, the lock member configured tobe shifted away from the arms to disengage the arm engagement portionthereof and release the arms to be pivoted to the open position.

By several approaches, the closure member can include a button portionhaving a distal end disposed between the arms, where the distal end isconfigured to be engaged by the portion of the cart to shift the closuremember.

By some approaches, the arms can include inwardly facing curvedsurfaces; and the closure member can include laterally projectingoutward portions that are configured to engage and slide down theinwardly facing curved surfaces of the arms when the closure member isshifted to pivot the arms to the closed position.

By several approaches, the lock member can include a release portionhaving an opening therein configured to receive a tool for shifting ofthe lock member away from the arms.

In several embodiments and as shown in FIG. 6, a method 100 for securinga cart within a delivery vehicle with a lock mechanism is describedherein that includes coupling 102 the lock mechanism to a linearmounting track installed within the delivery vehicle; shifting a closuremember of the lock mechanism to pivot arms of the lock mechanism from anopen position to a closed position gripping a portion of the cart;engaging the arms with a lock member of the lock mechanism to hold thearms in the closed position.

By some approaches, shifting the closure member can include engaging abutton portion of the closure member disposed between the arms with theportion of the cart.

By several approaches, shifting the closure member to pivot the arms caninclude engaging inwardly facing curved surfaces of the arms withlaterally projecting outward portions of the closure member; andshifting the closure member to slide the laterally projecting outwardportions thereof along the inwardly facing curved surfaces of the armsto thereby pivot the arms to the closed position.

By some approaches, the method can further include disengaging the lockmember from the arms allowing the arms to pivot to the open position andrelease the portion of the cart. By further approaches, disengaging thelock member can include shifting the lock member away from the arms. Byyet further approaches, shifting the lock member away from the arms caninclude inserting a tool into an opening of the lock member to shift thelock member away from the arms.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of othermodifications, alterations, and combinations can also be made withrespect to the above described embodiments without departing from thescope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, andcombinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventiveconcept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for securing a cart within a deliveryvehicle with a lock mechanism, the method comprising: coupling the lockmechanism to a linear mounting track installed within the deliveryvehicle; shifting a closure member of the lock mechanism to pivot armsof the lock mechanism from an open position to a closed positiongripping a portion of the cart; engaging the arms with a lock member ofthe lock mechanism to hold the arms in the closed position.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising biasing the arms towards the openposition with a spring mechanism.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereingripping the portion of the cart comprises gripping the portion of thecart with gripping surfaces of the arms having ridges extendingthereacross.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein shifting the closuremember comprises engaging a button portion of the closure memberlaterally disposed between the arms with the portion of the cart.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein shifting the closure member to pivot the armscomprises: engaging inwardly facing curved surfaces of the arms withlaterally projecting outward portions of the closure member; andshifting the closure member to slide the laterally projecting outwardportions thereof along the inwardly facing curved surfaces of the armsto thereby pivot the arms to the closed position.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein engaging the arms with the lock member further comprisesbiasing the lock member towards the arms with a spring device.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising disengaging the lock member fromthe arms allowing the arms to pivot to the open position and release theportion of the cart.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein disengaging thelock member comprises shifting the lock member away from the arms. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein shifting the lock member away from thearms comprises inserting a tool into an opening of the lock member toshift the lock member away from the arms.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein pivoting the arms of the lock mechanism from the open positionto the closed position gripping the portion of the cart comprisingpivoting the arms of the lock mechanism such that generally planarinwardly facing surfaces of the arms engage the portion of the cart andinwardly projecting portions of the arms retain the portion of the cartin a locking area partially defined by the inwardly facing surfaces.